dwelling
Americannoun
noun
Related Words
See house.
Other Word Forms
- multidwelling noun
Etymology
Origin of dwelling
Explanation
A dwelling is a home — where someone lives. Houses, apartments, and condos are all dwellings. If you know that to dwell means to live somewhere, then the meaning of dwelling won't be a surprise: it's an abode, domicile, or home. Your dwelling might be a house or an apartment. Tents, trailers, and igloos are all dwellings. Anything people live in is a dwelling. If you have no dwelling, then you have no shelter and you're probably homeless.
Vocabulary lists containing dwelling
Christmas Carol Vocab: A Lyrical Lexicon
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There's No Word Like Home
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30 GRE Words Beginning with "D"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
However, many commenters were quick to defend the LaBrants, calling attention to the fact that they have already shared their plan to move into a larger, custom dwelling.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 24, 2026
This pattern closely echoes the struggle that Fatone faced when he came to sell the dwelling after he was urged by his accountant to offload the home in order to save himself from going bankrupt.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 23, 2026
With the main house finished for now, Fahmy hopes to turn the garage into an accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, in the style of Mexican architect Luis Barragán: bold with color and texture.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2026
According to property records, Trainor initially listed the seven-bedroom, 7.5-bathroom dwelling for $11.99 million in June 2024.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 20, 2026
When Ennoch was an old man dwelling in the plains of Rer he met a man from his own country, and asked him, “How fares Shath Domain?”
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.